A glimpse of the future

I've got two big events coming up, which is dampening my ability to think in menus. The first is a major culinary trip later this month, the details of which I'll share soon. (But note that I am studiously staying away from Italian dishes at the moment.) And on October 13, the Smart Chefs Stay Slim panel at the New York City Wine & Food Festival, which comes to town Wednesday night. So, I'm going to take a little hiatus from posting menus. Well, I'm going to do this one.  More ideas when I return from the trip -- can't wait to share them.

MONDAY: Lentil soup, whole wheat baguette (bought), beet salad with mint (sorry, I still have an abundance of mint in my windowbox and an equal amount of guilt if I don't make use of it).

TUESDAY: Salmon teriyaki with noodles and garlicky green beans.

WEDNESDAY: Pan-seared fish (whatever is looking good and is not like salmon -- have I mentioned the chicken ban in my house?) with roasted little potatoes, tomatoes and olives

THURSDAY: Vegetable curry with rice. Poached pears (or figs -- or both).

Reusing's wonderful salad -- I make variations of this all the time.

FRIDAY: Warm asparagus salad with hard boiled eggs and homemade croutons. The recipe is by Lantern chef-owner Andrea Reusing, and appears in my book. Best in spring when it is asparagus season; I'll probably adapt it with some other green vegetables, gently blanched before adding -- everything goes good with just-cooked eggs and fresh croutons.

Più presto. Arrivederci!